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The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Monday
December 8, 1980
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By Jim Earle
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Its my collection of parking lot barricade bars.
‘Hysteria ’ warning
can t be taken lightly
By DAVID S. BRODER
WASHINGTON — Vernon Jordan, the
president of the Urban League, is one of the
few people I have ever known — John B. Con-
nally is another — who could go through an
assasination attempt, be severely wounded and
come away from the experience as clear in his
judgment and unemotional in his tone as he was
beforehand.
So when Vernon Jordan says on a national
television program, as he did the other day on
CBS’ Face the Nation, that “there is an unusual
amount of hysteria in the black community,” it
needs to be taken seriously.
There is no mystery about the source of that
“hysteria.” It has been fed by economic forces,
instances of violence and fears of political re
prisal. While inflation has been a curse for ev
ery American, the decline in real incomes has
been felt with particular severity in communi
ties where there are more poor and unem
ployed than anywhere else.
But black communities have also reacted
with anger and fear to unsolved waves of mur
ders in cities like Atlanta, and to the acquittal of
whites involved in deaths of blacks in Greens
boro, N.C., and Miami, among other places.
Even the unsolved assault which hospitalized
Jordan and nearly claimed his life earlier this
year has added to the tension.
Last month’s election was an added blow to
confidence of black Americans about their pros
pects in this society. It is easy — and, to some
extent, accurate — to say this fear resulted from
the exaggerated rhetoric President Carter used
in his efforts to rally black support to his side.
But there is also a reality which blacks under
stand and which whites need to understand as
well, in order to recognize the danger of social
disintegration which men like Jordan foresee.
The political reality is this: Blacks were trans
formed by the 1980 election from being at the
very center of a coalition which brought a Presi
dent to power to being the most conspicuous
outsiders at the new government’s victory
celebration. It is only by understanding the
extent of that power transformation that one can
glimpse the reasons for the “hysteria” of which
Jordan spoke.
Jimmy Carter was more indebted to black
voters and black leaders than any President in
our history. It was the testimony of black lead
ers from Atlanta that first persuaded skeptical
white liberals to support the lame-duck gov
ernor of Georgia against George Wallace in the
Florida primary of 1976. Their testimony res
cued him from serious trouble in the “ethnic
purity” escapade in the spring of 1976. Their
votes provided the margin of victory for him in
the crucial Florda and Pennsylvania primaries
and in the general election of 1976.
Warped
What is Dead Week? A faro
Name comes from pushing students until we drop
Dead Week — What is it?
As a high school senior, I thought it meant no
class the week before finals.
As a college freshman, I soon learned that I
still had to go to class. But I thought, “Well
that’s okay; it’s probably better to go to classes
and have a week of review sessions anyway.
As a college sophomore, I’m beginning to
catch on that dead week is just like any other
week of school, maybe worse. It seems to me
that it’s more like a week for professors to cram
in all of the material that was supposed to be
covered earlier. (You know the five remaining
chapters in your psychology class that are sup
posed to be read by Friday.)
I have to admit, 1 was really feeling cheated.
After all we re supposed to review and study
that week, not learn new material. And after all
my friends at Texas Tech and t. u. have the week
off. Don’t they?
I’m sorry to report that all of my precon
ceived notions about dead week were wrong.
Texas A&M University Buies and Regula
tions say: “During the regular two semesters no
examinations (except in courses carrying one
credit hour of theory or practice, optional tests,
for special credit, and make-up tests) shall be
given during the week beginning five (5) class
Staff notebook
By Cindy Gee
still holds classes during dead week-
don’t have any examinations
bona fide make-up exams.
Dr. James Hurst, dean of
University of Texas, said: “Wejiistj
inioi mal undei st.mdmu that no exaroi ' a p e rBo<
days prior to the first day of final examinations.
Nowhere does it say anything about having to
review, and all of those exceptions can keep a
student very busy. There are lab finals, P.E.
finals, night class finals, make-up tests, tests to
help improve your grade, and even tests you
can chose to take instead of the final.
Another misconception I had about dead
week was that student organizations aren’t sup
posed to schedule meetings that week. Dr.
Carolyn Adair, director of student activities,
said there never has been anything that says
activities should be slowed or speeded up that
week. She said, “We’re not for or against it.
And furthermore, where I got the idea that
my teasip and Red Raider friends didn’t have
class that week, I don’t know. I guess it’s really
just like any other week for them too — to go
to happy hour instead of class.
Dr. Len Ainsworth, interim vice president
for academic affairs at Texas Tech, said Tech
assigned the week before finals. We
a formal dead week, and we don’ttnti
it.”
He said they do have a “deadday
For example, finals begin on Friday,
doesn t have classes the Thursday bdi
“There’s a lot more comniittraenli
dication that week, he said Mol;
use it to scramble for their lives.
So why do they call it dead weekPCu
that the name comes from a practice]*
have to see just how far they can pi 1
without killing him? I don’t know
Then again, 1 have to ask myseKfl
have the right to feel cheated. After4,
have been learning the materia
semester, right professor? And tka
would I really spend the whole weeksti
Knowing me Id probably take oft to D
Christmas shop or something.
So what have I concluded?
Dead Week is a farce!
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Paperl
When Carter acknowledged that debt by re-
congnizing blacks with more appointments to
positions of power in government than they had
ever previously enjoyed, he was doing no more
than politics and conscience dictated. Blacks —
including Jordan — had their disagreements
and disappointments with the economic poli
cies of the Garter administration, and they
voiced them vigorously.
But in the election last month, as Jordan
remarked, just about “the only group of voters
who stayed on the sinking ship were black vo
ters.” About 85 percent of the blacks supported
Garter, a figure that was approached only by the
Hispanics. Almost every white element of the
old Democratic coalition saw serious defections
to the Reagan-Republican column.
And that was not the end of it. Despite pre
election assurances from some prominent white
liberals that the future of the courts would be
“protected” from the consequences of a Reagan
victory by the Democratic majority in the Sen
ate, that safeguard too was swept away in the
political revolution of Nov. 4.
Now, blacks know that it will be Sen. Strom
Thurmond (R-S.C.), who bolted the Democra
tic party to protest its commitment to civil
rights, and not Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-
Mass.), who will be conducting the hearings on
Reagan’s judicial nominees.
Thurmond has called already for repeal or
substantial revision of the Voting Rights Act of
1965, perhaps the most effective step ever
taken for the political empowerment of blacks.
Other new Republican Senate committee
chairmen are talking about curbing or outlaw
ing affirmative action programs, curtailing food
stamps and other programs whose benefits are
of particular value to the victims of poverty and
discrimination.
Under the circumstances, it requires no
great sensitivity on the part of whites to under
stand the “hysteria” of blacks. Reagan himself,
his transtition budget supervisor, Caspar L.
Weinberger, and such prominent Reagan sup
porters as Rep. Jack Kemp (R-N.Y.) have gone
out of their way to assure blacks that they need
have no fear of the consequences of the political
shift.
Jordan, for one, says that he is prepared to
give Reagan “the benefit of the doubt” and to
defer judgment until he sees the appointments,
the budget and the program of the new Presi
dent. That deference is appropriate.
But in the meantime, all of us — in our own
communities and groups, our own jobs and
associations — ought to be mindful that this is a
time when it is particularly important for com-
muniction across the racial lines that tragically
still divide American society.
It’s your turn —■
Bonfire efforts could go elsewhere
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Editor:
I must agree with Sam MeClatchie’s letter of
Dec. 4 about the wastefulness of Aggie bonfire.
However, I believe it’s a fact that the trees are
used usually from an area that will be cleared
and burned anyway. Also, even though poor
people in other parts of the world could greatly
benefit from this firewood, the cost of getting it
to them is prohibitive. I have no quarrels with
the waste of wood or any possible contamina
tion of the environment caused by this tradi
tion. What I do lament is the waste of human
and other non-wood resources, like cutting,
hauling and stacking equipment.
I have heard that if the equipment was all
rented, necessary supplies, like gasoline,
bought, and workers paid the minimum wage,
the bonfire would cost over $1 million annually!
That figure may be inflated, but, think what a
million dollars in effort could do! A million dol
lars could construct 20 decent houses, fix all the
streets in the Bryan-College Station area, or
even build Kyle Field that much bigger, if
that’s what you wanted.
Or think what a million dollar annual charity
project could do for the well-being of this area
and the reputation of this university. It would
give us Aggies something to really be proud of!
Guy Hallman
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Apologies for chimes
Editor:
I would like to address this letter to Mr. Jay
Stanish and to anyone else who attended Silver
Taps on Dec. 2. The musii heard fromtii
chimes during the ceremony was,[ft ;a about
mistake. An error was made in progtf
the new chimes and unfortunately tk
set of songs was played. The Class oH
ated these chimes to the University*!
intention that they, among other things
the Silver Taps ceremony. As president
Class of’81, I accept the ultimate respe» !
for this most unfortunate error and apo!'
assure you such a mistake will not ben 1
the future.
jess'
Class of ’81 Ff (
By Scott McCuilar
The Battalion
ISPS 015 :)60
MEMBER
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism ( ougre
Questions or comments tvneerninf! Ml} ('
should he directed to the editor.
'(litorinl 1
Editor Dillard Stone
Managing Editor Rhonda Watters
Asst. Managing Editor Scott Haring
City Editor Becky Swanson
Asst. City Editor Angelique Copeland
Sports Editor Richard Oliver
Asst. Sports Editor . Ritchie Priddy
Focus Editor Scot K. Meyer
Asst. Focus Editor Cathy Saathoff
News Editors Lynn Blanco, Todd Woodard
Staff Writers Jennifer Afflerbach, Kurt Allen,
Nancy Andersen, Marcy Boyce, Jane G. Brust
Mike Burrichter, Pat Davidson, Cindy Gee
Jon Heidtke, Uschi Michel-Howell, Debbie Nelson
‘ Liz Newlin, Rick Stolle
Cartoonist Scott McCuilar
Photo Editor Pat O’Malley
Photographers George Dolan,
Greg Gammon, Jeff Kerber
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Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University. Cim’-
77843.
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